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Since Sunday night, the preliminary count had already pointed to a De la Espriella victory by a razor-thin margin of less than 1% of the vote.

But his opponent, senator Iván Cepeda, and the current president Gustavo Petro had initially refused to recognise the result, saying they would instead wait for the official scrutiny process.

After the official count showed a 99.997% match with the preliminary results, Cepeda called a press conference in the capital, Bogotá, and finally conceded.

“At this stage of the count, I have decided to accept the result of the process, which indicates that Abelardo de la Espriella is the new president of the republic. I do so as an act of democratic responsibility. I do so to contribute to coexistence, peace and dialogue among Colombians,” he said.

The leftwing candidate, who finished with 12.7m votes – just 250,000 fewer than De la Espriella’s 12.96m – said, however, that “accepting the electoral result does not mean renouncing the truth or remaining silent in the face of facts that we consider serious and that marked this presidential campaign”. ‘Institutional threat’: election of far-right leader raises fears for democracy in Colombia Read more

In a reference to Donald Trump’s posts in which he endorsed De la Espriella while describing Cepeda as a “radical left marxist”, the senator said: “We denounced the open and improper foreign interference in Colombia’s internal affairs. In particular, the interventions carried out by the government of the United States and especially those of President Donald Trump in favour of Abelardo de la Espriella’s candidacy.”

On Tuesday night, in a 4,500-word social media post, Petro announced that he would begin the transition process with the president-elect.

Petro wrote that he felt as though he were handing Simón Bolívar’s sword – the relic that belonged to the military leader of South American independence from Spain and is kept at Colombia’s presidential palace – “to a viceroy”, a reference to Trump’s backing of De la Espriella.

The president-elect has announced that Colombia would join the “Shield of the Americas”, the Trump-backed initiative bringing together far-right governments across the region, which now overwhelmingly dominate Latin America. Once De la Espriella takes office on 7 August, only four countries in the region will be governed by the left.

“Colombia will NO longer be governed by an administration that is complacent towards narco-terrorism. We will combat it as it should be fought,” wrote De La Espriella, who has pledged to resume a full-scale military offensive to defeat the country’s decades-long armed conflict.

Grand Theft Auto 6, the latest instalment of Rockstar Games' biggest ever franchise, will cost $79.99, with a more premium edition costing $99.99.

It is not yet known how much the game will cost in the UK - the BBC has asked Rockstar for a list of regional prices.

Rockstar said physical copies of the game will contain a code for a digital download for the game inside a box, rather than a disc.

Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood said the price tag for the standard edition was "fairly reasonable" but said the lack of disc may "irk some physical collectors".

However, she added the decision made sense from Rockstar's point of view, "as it reduces the amount of rebuying and reselling and helps prevent leaks".

One of the most hotly-anticipated games of the year, GTA 6 will open for pre-orders at midnight local time on 25 June.

The game itself - which some analysts say could be the most expensive ever made - will be released on 19 November on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Following the reveal, some fans questioned the point of purchasing a physical copy, if it did not contain a disc.

Others queried whether they would be able to re-sell the game after, as can be done with normal physical editions with a disc, or whether the code would be shareable.

Fans seemed less concerned by the price - a $10 increase for the standard edition compared to the typical $70 price tag for similarly-sized blockbuster games.

"$10 won't be such a big hit to consumers pockets, but I still hope $80 won't become the norm," posted one.

When it launched in 2013, GTA 5 cost $59.99 for the standard edition.

Joost van Dreunen, a professor of games business at NYU Stern said the pricing was a "clever strategy" by Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two.

"Take-Two is catering to the largest possible audience while offering die-hards an upgraded tier," he said.

Rockstar added that players who pre-order digital versions of the game will be able to begin pre-loading it on their consoles on November 12 to ensure they are able to play at launch.

The physical version of GTA 6 will also be available starting 12 November to support pre-loading.

The more expensive "Ultimate Edition" will include features such as more vehicles, weapons and outfits for the characters.

He claims vote-counting software was not audited before the 2026 election. On Monday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro denounced irregularities in the presidential runoff held Sunday, in which far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won 49.66% of the vote.

He said the electoral vote-counting software used for the preliminary tally was not audited beforehand, opening the door to vulnerabilities that compromised the transparency of the electoral system.

In early June, Petro had already alleged that the software used for the preliminary vote count was managed by a company owned by brothers Carlos and Fernando Bautista, who were imprisoned in the United States for financial fraud.

The following is the message posted on social media by the Colombian president:

“Now I am going to present the algorithms that make the Bautista brothers’ software vulnerable and that allow powerful states with computing capabilities to replace Colombian men and women.

Because the software was not allowed to be audited, this terrible vulnerability was not discovered, and a possible pyrrhic defeat for progressivism was preferred in exchange for national sovereignty.

Pyrrhic because progressivism is now bigger than when the people elected me, which demonstrates the gratitude and recognition of the people of Colombia, who have not taken away our power of speech but have instead given us more power.

I now formally invite President Donald Trump to talk because I believe the situation created in Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela requires great wisdom before encouraging instability that would result in much human bloodshed and an unprecedented strengthening of drug trafficking.

Here, for the history of Colombia, I leave the existing algorithms that allow external vulnerability in the software. It is now known that the algorithms that removed the E14 database metadata, such as the historical timestamp and the Hash lock, did allow changes to E14 forms that had already been submitted.

We now know that some election jurors abroad, who could not legally serve as jurors while residing in Colombia without invalidating what was done at the polling stations, were in fact residents of Colombia.

We now know that millions of dollars entered from abroad to finance efforts to discredit the government, me, the Historic Pact and Ivan Cepeda.

Millions of Colombians were led to believe that Ivan was a guerrilla fighter when he never took up arms. He only investigated the murder of his father, a senator, until he identified the official perpetrator, a public official. That led him, as it led me, because we are truth-tellers, to investigate those responsible for the genocide of Colombia’s humble people.

Here you can read, although it is somewhat difficult, the vulnerable algorithms of the Bautista brothers’ private software, so that they remain part of the history of these days and so that the people may learn to unite and defend their interests.”

Nevertheless, they vow to continue opposing neoliberal policies. On Monday, the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba, one of Bolivia’s leading coca growers’ unions, announced a “fourth intermission,” or pause, in the mobilizations demanding the resignation of right-wing President Rodrigo Paz.

The announcement was made at an event attended by former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), which was held on the third day of the State of Emergency declared by Paz in an attempt to contain massive demonstrations that lasted more than a month and a half. Union leader Isidro Auca said the pause is intended to help restore peace in the country but warned that the struggle against neoliberal policies will continue.

“This is only a pause so we can continue organizing and preparing because the Paz administration has not had the capacity to solve the problems,” he said, accusing the Bolivian Workers’ Center (COB) of betraying grassroots organizations. Previously, on June 19, the Bolivian government and COB leader Mario Argollo signed an agreement to end road blockades and the massive protests, a deal that has been questioned by social organizations.

Evo Morales said the pause in the protests does not represent a surrender by grassroots supporters, who remain vigilant regarding the actions of the Paz administration. He reiterated accusations against the Bolivian government of handing over the country’s natural resources to transnational corporations.

The former Bolivian president also rejected the stance adopted by the Organization of American States (OAS). Over the last month, this multilateral institution has maintained a “double standard” by criticizing Bolivian protests in defense of acquired social rights and the country’s natural heritage while remaining silent about the U.S. blockade against Cuba, he said, defending the legitimacy of the movilizations.

“Through road blockades, we defeated the military dictatorships and restored democracy. Through road blockades, we defeated Operation Condor,” he said, referring to Bolivia’s long history of social struggles.

Morales also expressed support for those police officers and members of the military who refused to repress protesters, emphasizing that they do not want to become accomplices of Paz, a president who is willing to sell his country to foreigners.

The former Bolivian president also denounced a proposed constitutional amendment through which the right intends to force small agricultural producers to pay higher taxes.

Havana, June 24 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated today that the US government is not ceasing in its efforts to tighten the noose around the Cuban economy.

"The U.S. government, led by its dishonest and mendacious Secretary of State, continues to take steps to tighten the noose around Cuba's economy, as it has proven stronger, more capable, and more effective than he expected in the face of the ruthless aggression and collective punishment against the people and their living conditions," he expressed on the social network X.

This statement comes after the U.S. State Department announced the designation of five Cuban entities under Executive Order 14404, signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in May 2026.

The sanctioned entities are: Banco Financiero Internacional, Rafin, Almacenes Universales, GeoMinera, and Siderúrgica José Martí. Also sanctioned is the official Annalie Lilliam Rueda Cardero.

"What this individual is promoting from the world's greatest power is a crime," the foreign minister stated.

Once again, the White House accuses Cuba of being a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, these measures mean that "anyone providing services to these sanctioned actors risks being sanctioned themselves. Foreign banks and other companies providing services to these entities must freeze those activities immediately."

This once again highlights the marked extraterritorial nature of the blockade and other aggressions against Cuba, with actions that reinforce the siege and accentuate the collective punishment against its people.

Bogotá, June 24 (Prensa Latina) The presidential candidate for the Historical Pact of Colombia, Iván Cepeda, accepted today the results shown so far by the vote counts and indicated Abelardo De la Espriella as the new leader of the country.

In a press conference, the senator pointed out that his recognition stems from an act of democratic responsibility "to contribute to coexistence, peace and dialogue."

However, he noted that accepting the election result does not mean renouncing the truth or remaining silent in the face of events he described as serious during the campaign.

“During this process, we denounced the open and undue foreign interference in the internal affairs of Colombia, particularly the interventions made by the United States government and in particular the interventions of President Donald Trump in favor of the candidacy of Abelardo De la Espriella,” he stated.

He also warned how the far-right campaign carried out "a massive vote-buying operation aimed at altering the free expression of the popular will and we also warn that it used sophisticated manipulation strategies through artificial intelligence technologies."

Cepeda, on the other hand, emphasized that his proselytizing efforts were clean, transparent, and respectful.

“A campaign that made no concessions to politics turned into spectacle, nor to unscrupulous alliances, nor to the buying of consciences, nor to the practice that degrades democracy and debases the popular will,” he stated.

He announced that from now on he will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition, but also a resolute and unwavering one.

“We will stand with the communities, in the territories, in working-class neighborhoods, in the countryside and in the cities. We will take up resistance and peaceful civil disobedience if necessary. We will support social struggles, the causes of youth, women, workers, ethnic groups, peasants, and the middle class,” he asserted.

The senator emphasized that his movement will resist any attempt at authoritarian subjugation and that sovereignty will be defended under any circumstances.

“We are not intimidated by threats or political persecution. We have suffered and confronted them before, and we have defeated them time and again with the power of reason, democratic mobilization, and popular solidarity,” he said.

Cepeda announced that he will embark on a new tour of Colombia's territories to listen, dialogue, and build together with the communities the great Alliance for Life that will protect democracy, social rights, the reforms achieved, and nature.

“If De la Espriella and the new government decide to follow the path of dialogue, common sense, and national understanding, if they choose to build agreements based on mutual respect and the common good, they will find in us a sincere willingness to reach an agreement. Today we are half of Colombia, as counted at the ballot box. We are a fundamental part of the nation,” he declared.

Brasilia, June 24 (Prensa Latina) Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denied to the Civil Police of the Federal District that he intended to break the law in the case of a firearm registered in his name, Agencia Brasil reported today.

According to the media outlet, Bolsonaro gave a statement as part of an investigation into a 9mm Glock pistol found in a vehicle driven by a member of his security team during a police check in this capital.

The former president explained to the authorities that he asked a military officer in his entourage to check and repair the weapon after detecting a fault, so it was sent for maintenance, said defense lawyer Paulo Cunha Bueno.

According to the lawyer, who accompanied the interrogation carried out at the residence where Bolsonaro is under house arrest, there was no intention to violate legal norms and the fact lacks criminal relevance.

The defense also reiterated that the pistol legally belongs to Bolsonaro and has a valid registration, so it should remain at his home as there is no seizure order or judicial prohibition.

The case originated on June 15, when the vehicle in which the weapon was being transported was stopped at a police checkpoint in Taguatinga, in the Federal District, where an additional magazine was also found.

Following the incident, Supreme Federal Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes requested explanations regarding the shipment of the weapon for repair during the period of house arrest of the former president, who was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison in the trial for the coup plot following the 2022 elections.

The magistrate questioned why, near the end of the 90-day period granted for humanitarian reasons, the convicted man requested that the weapon be repaired.

Moraes must decide no later than this Thursday whether the house arrest will continue or whether the former president will have to return to jail.

A potential decision by Moraes to revoke the benefit could be used as an argument by the United States to apply new sanctions against the judge under the so-called Magnitsky Act, SBT News reported this week.